“I’ve been traveling for three days straight,” Akemi grumbled. “I don’t have the energy for this right now.”
“Exactly! Now imagine that you have a wailing baby to take care of all night long.”
Akemi’s shoulders slumped. “I’m going to bed.”
“Claire’s stuff is in your room,” Anne said apologetically. “We didn’t know that you were coming home.”
“I can move,” Claire offered.
“No, it’s fine.” Akemi rubbed her eyes, looking exhausted. “Is anybody in the green room?”
“No. It’s pretty musty, though…”
“It’s fine. I’ll open a window.”
“Are you sure?”
“Good night,” Akemi said with finality. Anne’s heart hurt as she watched her baby sister trudge up the stairs. Even Claire wasn’t unaffected.
“Auntie, really,” she said, following her, “I haven’t even unpacked yet. You can have your room. I’ll sleep somewhere else.”
When they were gone, Halia leveled a long look at Oakley.
“What?” she hissed.
“Did you have to be such a downer?” Anne asked.
“If I’m being a downer,” Oakley whispered, “it’s only because somebody needs to bring that girl down to earth!”
“That ‘girl’ is nearly forty,” Halia said.
“It’s time she started acting like it!” Oakley sighed and ran a hand over her eyes. “She has no idea what she’s in for. You just can’t know until you’re in it. No woman is grown until she’s a mother, not really.”
“Right.” Halia rolled her eyes. “That’s why I’m so girlish and carefree.”
Oakley winced. “I didn’t mean– Halia, you mother everybody. You know I didn’t mean you. Man, I’m really sticking my foot in it tonight, huh?”
“Now there’s a change,” Halia said, but her smile was warm.
“But Akemiisgirlish. She never really grew up. Back me up here, Annie.”
Anne bit her lip and wrinkled her nose.
“Seriously?” Oakley held her hands out in protest.
“You underestimate her,” Anne said. “She’s seen more of the world than any of us. Akemi travels all over, and she does it all by herself. She’s not a kid.”
“She is if she thinks that life will be as simple as just strapping a baby to her chest and charging forward like nothing’s changed!”
“Even if that’s true,” Halia said quietly, “she’s a lot less likely to come home and accept help when things get hard if she expects to be buried in ‘I told you so’s.”
“Okay, fair.” Oakley slumped back on the couch. She glanced at the clock, sighed, and pushed herself up. “I should get the girls home.”
“You could sleep here tonight,” Anne said, but Oakley shook her head.
“Nah. I’d have to wake them up before dawn to get them to soccer on time.”
“Okay.” She stood and pulled her sister in for a hug. “My car will be here in a couple of weeks. I can drive up to Waimea then.”
